by Xinhua writers Yang Shilong, Wu Xiaoling, Xu Jing
NEW YORK, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- Temperatures were at or below zero across the U.S. mid-western state of Iowa on Monday night when Republicans officially kicked off their presidential nominating process.
Bill Pellet, a fifth-generation farmer in Atlantic, the county seat of Cass County, Iowa, was confident the brutal cold won't depress too much voter turnout.
IOWA CAUCUSES MATTER
"I believe Iowa has a duty to sort out the candidates running for office. We have a population that has a good education. We take pride in our first-in-the-nation status," said Pellet.
Iowans who are at least 18 years old, and those who will turn 18 by Nov. 5, can participate in Monday's caucuses.
Only Iowa residents who are registered Republicans can participate, and only in their designated home precincts -- but Iowans can register to vote or change their party today at their caucus site with a valid form of ID and proof of address.
And Iowa Democrats are holding a mail-in ballot process with results to be announced on Super Tuesday in March.
According to Pellet, Cass County has a population of about 15,000. And there are 11 venues for the caucus.
The outcome of the caucuses can help build or break candidates' momentum as they vie to secure enough delegates to be the Republican Party's nominee and take on Biden in November.
THREE MAIN ELECTION ISSUES
Pellet, 76, said there are "three main issues" for this year's election -- illegal immigration, lack of proper punishment for those who break the law, and the economy."
"Illegal immigration is very high on our list of concerns. An open border allows drugs, cartels and terrorists to enter," Pellet told Xinhua in a phone interview.
And the Justice Department "seems to be prosecuting the wrong people," said Pellet.
"They are more concerned about human rights than upholding the laws. They aren't prosecuting the looters on the city streets, the criminals that really do harm to the average citizen. The failure to back the police causes distrust of the government as well," he added.
The economy, Pellet said, has been faltering since the pandemic. "We have not seen much improvement in the economy. Inflation is taking most of the gains, if there are any, making net zero or negative buying power for the average citizen. It hurts low-income people more than high-income people. We need fewer regulations to stimulate the economy."
On agriculture, Pellet said farmers had outstanding prices and good yields this past year, but they felt the pinch of the high interest rates.
"High interest rates (hurt farmers) because typically farmers borrow anywhere from 200,000 U.S. dollars to a million U.S. dollars to invest in their crop inputs. When you add an additional 5 percent interest, that's a major increase in cost. We will not have as much money to manage debt a year from now like we did last year," he said.
Republican voters, at 65 percent, were more likely to see a strong economy as a bigger concern, found a CBS/YouGov poll released just a day ahead of the Iowa caucuses. A total of 64 percent of Democratic voters viewed a functioning democracy as a bigger concern.
U.S. "KIND OF LOOKED ON VERY POORLY"
Pellet deplored that the United States is "kind of looked on very poorly" as the political polarization has been deepening over the years, with widening divides between the two major parties as well as within each of the parties.
"Trusting our government is a huge problem. The amount of money that our elected officials have accrued while being in office is a good indicator," said Pellet.
"They do not get anything done. It's a terrible situation when they are elected to represent us and they cannot agree on anything. The Democrats, vote absolutely in a block. There's no dissension in their ranks, and the Republicans cannot agree on anything."
"The United States is kind of looked on very poorly. And they have not been doing their job for the last 50 years, to tell the truth. They have not kept their promises, they have not delivered a balanced budget. Things that are important to the common everyday citizens seem to be ignored," he said.
"The border crisis, the economy, and the judicial system problems all create a mistrust of government. No one is addressing the factors that need immediate attention with the current administration," said Pellet, suggesting one way to help is term limits for congressmen and bureaucrats, getting fresh people with fresh ideas into government.
Most U.S. adults say the country is heading in the wrong direction, according to a survey from the Associated Press-NORC Research Center last October. ■